Hello Sunday!

Well, well.  Sunday is over and tomorrow is the first day again of September.  September!  Yes, September!  OMG.  Was so tired today but fulfilled.  Since it will be the start of a new month, only good vibes should be entertained.  Am just looking forward to another vacay at home :) 

Career Quotes: Grab it! It may come only once!

Today's mantra...

Coco Made Me Do It!

Oh...Another shirt crush!!!  Isn't it cute?  You cannot go wrong with a black shirt: pair it with a pair of jeans; a skirt; jazz it up with a chunky necklace or with a neon bag!  Saw this from Romwe. They do have free international shipping.  Hurry up and check their Flash Sale here. 

Chic Biker Jacket

Bring out the Harley!  I am crushing on this Biker Jacket from Mango.  It's still on sale on the website and the QR 500 purchase free delivery is still on. Hmmm...Will have to ask Hubby first.  Other cool stuffs are on sale too!  Check 'em here.  Happy Shopping! 

NYX's Eyebrow Gel

I've ran over this new product from NYX on their website.  Will definitely have this checked out.  Am hoping that they do have it here in Doha! 

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend everyone!  Alhamdullilah!  I had enjoyed the past two days.  Well, they were quite productive :) - household chores, some "me" time, playing the new levels of Plants vs Zombies and relaxing lazily on the couch while watching some movies and comedy shows on OSN.  Oh well, it's another week at work starting tomorrow.  Days are flying by...  How did you spend your weekend?  I hope you had a blast :) 

Make Up Brushes

I had recently got a tutorial on makeup from one of my friends who got a chance to take a short course from the Philippines. 
If I have time and resources, I would definitely go too.  
Anyways, she had taught us the basics and I was glad that I was doing some things right but some things wrong too. 
First step is about the make up brushes. 
I got one also from a friend and it was quite useful. 
Am thinking of getting another set from her actually. 
Oh well, I have to get the rest of the make up basics first. 
I believe that you do feel good when you look good (presentable). 
What about you: are you a pro already on putting your make up? :) 

Travel: Istanbul, Turkey

Hello, am back once again!

My husband and I celebrated Eid in Istanbul! Yes, he was able to overcome his fear of flying.

It was yet another memorable travel experience.

We left for Istanbul on a Thursday and reached there in the evening.

The moment we had landed on the airport, it gave me a homey feeling: it’s like Manila; the busy streets, lots of people waiting for their rides, tall buildings and establishments.

A shuttle picked us up from the airport which is pretty cool: we are the only ones (the four of us, we travelled with a couple friends of ours).

What I’ve noticed is that they are driving a bit fast there and some pedestrians are hard headed too. We almost hit one on our way to the hotel.

Wheeew…

Please bear with me as this is going to be a long post (a very long one)!

But believe me, you would want to go there too!

Our Stay

We stayed at the Golden Horn Sultanahmet Hotel.

It was a very good choice as it is just walking distance to the tourist spots (Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, etc) near the tram station and the restaurants and only a 15-min walk to the Grand Bazaar.

We took the regular room since we know that we will be outside most of the time.

The place was cozy and the interior was also ok.

The bed was comfortable enough, the toilet is quite small but is ok.

The water there seems very good as my hair was really great during our stay (yeah, I know people in Doha can relate too!).

There is a door/window that you can open and look at the park.

Yes, a park in front of the hotel. There was a time when we just sat there and talk about stuffs.

Hotel staff are friendly and approachable.

Buffet breakfast was great too. That time we were still fasting so we got the Suhoor meals and those were also fantastic.

The restaurant is at the topmost floor overlooking the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia.

They also have a coffee break from 4PM until 5PM at the lobby.

The Food

Food was very good.

We ate breakfast at the hotel and tried different restaurants and dishes every day.

The whole street is full of resto: colorful, posh, offers great views and a wide variety of food choices.

Their servings are a little bit of everything: veggies, a half cup of rice, meat of your choice normally.

After a hearty meal, they’ll offer you a fresh hot cup of tea!

Most of the restaurants that we had dined in only had fresh orange juice but sodas are also available. 

Tourist Spots/Places to Go/Things to Do

There are many things to do in Istanbul: go sight-seeing, shop, dine and a whole lot more. 

During Eid, the places were really jam packed, queues are very long. 

We were lucky enough that we had arrived days before Eid and were able to visit some of them already.

Shopping

Istanbul is like heaven for the shopaholics.

Taksim (the place where most of these shops are) is only around 20 minutes taxi ride from the hotel.

There are many shops: Mango, Zara, H&M, Nine West, Topshop and a whole lot more.

Most of the shops have promotions/sales (Indirim) when we came there.

Leather was also exquisite but was pricey however they say that they really last for a long time.

The Grand Bazaar at the Sultan Ahmet (near our hotel) was like their version of Divisoria – everything was there.

We came there for 2 days and were not able to finish checking the shops.

Oh well, I got some nice shirts and blouses, bags and shoes from Istanbul. 

My husband was able to get his clothes from a nearby shop at the hotel.

He got 2 pairs of suits, some pants and a pair of nice leather shoes.

The Spice Market is also amazing.

There is also a Gold Souq.

Sweets and teas are amongst the things that we did dig for.

Lots of Turkish Delights and tea of almost unimaginable colors and flavours.

Souvenirs and tokens are also sold almost everywhere.

Too sad to say that there are many imitation/fake bags, wallets, clothes, watches and even shoes there but there are also many shops with unique leather products at very reasonable prices.

My advice, allot 2 days or more for shopping alone.

After we completed the shopping list, we were relieved.

We came back home with great finds and an extra carry-on bag.

Other Stuffs to do. Etc. FYI. 

Make sure that you always have cash with you. 

They do accept Euro, USD or Turkish Lira. 

Credit Cards are also acceptable but since there are taxes, it would be best to pay cash, it's way cheaper. 

Beware of the mean taxi drivers: we were warned before but never believed it until we encountered one. 

We rode a taxi from Taksim going back to the hotel. 

The meter was on and the ride was ok and it was a bit traffic. 

To our surprise, the taxi driver had let us go "near" the hotel and said that he has to drop us there as it is so traffic and we can walk up since it's "near".

Exhausted as we are, with all of the walking and shopping, we did not argue anymore about the fare which is almost twice of what we paid for going to Taksim. 

What he meant by "near" was almost more than 30 minutes of walking under the heat. 

Haggling is also a way of getting discounts at the shops. Try your best to get a fair price. 

Buy all the stuffs that you want from one shop if possible so you can get/ask for more discounts. 

When going for the cruise, it would be best to double check on the pick up time from the hotel. 

We joined a cruise and was picked up by the shuttle from the hotel at around 7pm and ended up sitting on there for almost 2 hours since we have to pick up almost everyone who are also going. 

Imagine the school bus with many stops. 

There are also many places that offer the Turkish Hamam (bath). 

Chamberlitas is the one where we had gone; I did not do the ham am but got a massage instead. 

Also, it would be best to get up early so you can do most of the walking while the sun is not yet strikingly hot. 

Put on your sunscreen, grab a summer hat and a fan. 

Weather in Turkey when we had visited is good (compared to the almost 40 deg here in Doha). 

Hmmmm... I hope I did not miss anything important. 

Given the chance, we would definitely go back.

P.S. 

Here are random photos that we had. Hope you could come and visit too! 

Golden Horn Hotel

A useful map

Tours

Indirim=Sale

This is not the taxi with the "mean" driver.

Hmmm... The rates are good...

The street vendor selling pretzels. 

One of the restaurants that we had tried. They have shisha too! 

Oh yes, McDo is there too.

The cool phone at the hotel room. 

at Taksim

The Tram Station

Spices and Tea 

...and the Tram 

Dresscode for the mosque

Souvenirs...

Leather Shoes...

at the restaurant in the hotel

Sale everywhere...

The busy street near the hotel

@Taksim

Outside the hotel, at the park...

The sweets shop that I was looking at almost everyday.

Places to visit

Thursday Thought

Happy Thursday everyone!

Turkish Delight

I had always dreamed of having a photo or something that I had written published.  I know I am one step closer :)  This photo was approved for CNN iReport as Travel Photo of the Day.  This was taken from one of the shops at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.  A much lengthy post about our travel will be posted soon! (yeah, I do promise).  Here's the link to the short article.